Apparatus for removably holding mold cavity sections to mold plates

ABSTRACT

Tools, such as compression mold cavity sections, are easily and quickly removably mounted on plates, such as compression mold plates, by providing the plates with a plurality of openings therein, adapted to receive a mating extension of the tool. The plate also has a plurality of slots perpendicular to and intersecting the openings, for receiving a key or slide bar retainer. The tool extensions have a keyway or groove mating with the slot for removably receiving the slide bar. The edges of the slide bars have notches or recesses corresponding in shape to the shape of the openings, whereby the slide bars can be moved a short distance from a tool-locking position to a tool-releasing position where the recesses register with or correspond to the openings to release the tools, without the need for withdrawing the slide bar entirely out from the plate. A plurality of different types of mold cavity sections can be held to the same mold plates in this way and different tools can be interchangeably connected to the same retainer plate as long as the tools each include a properly grooved extension adapted to extend into the plate opening and to matingly receive the slide bar.

nited States Patent [191 Messenger 1 1 July 17, 1973 [75] Inventor: Edward J. Messenger, Gastonia,

[73] Assignee: Garlock, Inc., Palmyra, NY.

[22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 207,425

[52] U.S. Cl 425/195, 24/205.18, 24/211,

425/193, 425/406, 425/472 [51] Int. Cl. 829C 3/00 [58] Field of Search 24/205.l8, 211 R,

24/211 K, 211 L; 287/20 R; 425/406, 193, 472, 195; IOO/DIG. 18; 72/481 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 417,124 12/1889 Walker 24/211 K 631,082 8/1899 Landau i 24/211 K 1,357,795 11/1920 Nebeling... 24/211 K X 1,385,238 7/1921 Anthon 24/205.18 X 2,135,299 11/1938 Benander 425/406 2,142,770 1/1939 Wied 24/205.l8 2,572,771 10/1951 Silberkraus et a1. 425/472 3,225,686 12/1965 Clements 100/D1G. 18 3,265,424 8/1966 llopilian 24/211 K Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spicer, Jr. Attorney-John R. Schovee and Thomas R. Boston [57] ABSTRACT Tools, such as compression mold cavity sections, are easily and quickly removably mounted on plates, such as compression mold plates, by providing the plates with a plurality of openings therein, adapted to receive a mating extension of the tool. The plate also has a plurality of slots perpendicular to and intersecting the openings, for receiving a key or slide bar retainer. The tool extensions have a keyway or groove mating with the slot for removably receiving the slide bar. The edges of the slide bars have notches or recesses corresponding in shape to the shape of the openings, whereby the slide bars can be moved a short distance from a tool-locking position to a tool-releasing position where the recesses register with or correspond to the openings to release the tools, without the need for withdrawing the slide bar entirely out from the plate. A plurality of different types of mold cavity sections can be held to the same mold plates in this way and different tools can be interchangeably connected to the same retainer plate as long as the tools each include a properly grooved extension adapted to extend into the plate opening and to matingly receive the slide bar.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing 1F igures Pmmww m 3.746.488

sum 2 Hf 3 FIG. 2

APPARATUS FOR REMOVABLY HOLDING MOLD CAVITY SECTIONS TO MOLD PLATES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to tool holding and in a preferred embodiment to a method and apparatus for releasably holding compression mold cavity sections to mold plates.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior to the present invention, it was usual practice in designing rubber molds to fasten the mold cavity sections to mold plates using screws or snap rings, for example. Some of these prior methods require tools to re move the mold cavity sections from the plates and often necessitated removal of the entire mold assembly from the production press to remove the individual mold cavities. Many of these prior systems required several holes to be drilled and tapped, which requirements were costly and presented the ever present danger of screws becoming loose and causing mold damage. Some prior systems for holding mold cavity sections also involved the use of supplementary plates which were costly and added unwanted weight to the system.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for easily and quickly removably holding interchangeable mold cavity sections to mold plates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Method and apparatus for removably holding mold cavity sections to a mold plate wherein the mold plate includes a regular, rectilinear array of identical, cylindrical openings extending perpendicular to the plane of the plate and part way therethrough, said openings being arranged in a plurality of rows and columns with the openings being equally spaced apart in the rows and columns. The mold cavity sections each have a cylindrical extension adapted to fit into said openings. The mold plate also includes a plurality of slots therethrough perpendicular to the openings and with the edges of the slots slightly overlapping the openings. A plurality of retainer keys or slide bars are slidably positioned in the slots for matingly, lockingly engaging mating keyways or grooves in the mold cavity section ex tensions. The slide bars have notches or recesses in their side edges corresponding to the shape of the openings, such that they can be moved a short distance, where the recesses register with the openings, for releasing the mold cavity sections for removal of mold cavity sections without necessitating removing the slide bar entirely from the plate.

The slide bars can be manually shifted at the press, from the operating side of the mold, to either their retaining" or "releasing" position, for easily and simply adding mold cavity sections to, or removing them from, the mold plate. This invention allows the mold plates to remain attached to the mold platen during changing, without loss of heat or valuable production time. Different mold cavity sections can be used interchangeably as long as they have a grooved extension that fits in the openings and lockingly mates with the slide bar.

,BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof, when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view through a mold assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional front view through the mold assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a cavity plate of the present invention, the left side being the front;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cavity plate of FIG. 3 along lines 4--4;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a slide bar of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the slide bar of FIG. 5 along lines 6-6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the present invention will be described by detailed reference to the presently preferred application or embodiment thereof, wherein the invention is used in a compression mold assembly.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are partial cross-sectional views through a hinged book set type of compression mold assembly 2 comprising a top book set 10 and a bottom book set 12, the two sets 10 and 12 being connected together at the rear (the right end in FIG. 1) by a hinge assembly 14. A handle 16 is connected to the top book set 10 at the front thereof. A book pin assembly 18 and a spring post assembly 20 are located between the top and bottom book sets 10 and 12 for lifting the two book sets apart a short distance after molding and for aligning the book sets, respectively, as is well-known in the art. The top and bottom book sets 10 and 12 are positioned between, upper and lower mold platens (not shown) as is known in the art. An upper mold cavity section 22 is mounted on the top book set 10 and a lower mold cavity section 24 is mounted on the bottom book set 12, and a stamping or shell 26, for example, is placed within the mold cavity along with a rubber prep (not shown) positioned in the mold cavity in space 28 thereof, and the mold assembly 2 is then closed by movement of the mold platens (not shown) accomplishing the desired compression molding. The upper platen is then raised up, the book set assembly 2 hingedly opened, and the molded parts removed from the mold cavities.

The present invention provides for the easy and quick removal and interchanging of the individual mold cavity sections as follows. Before getting into the de tailed description, a brief overall description, using the reference numerals developed below, will be helpful. Each book set 10 and 12 is a tool-retaining plate having a plurality of tool-receiving holes or openings 38. The tools have extensions that fit into the openings. The retaining plate also has a plurality of slots 46 perpendicular to the openings 38 and intersecting the edge of the openings. The tool extensions have a keyway or groove mating with the slot. A slide bar 524 is positioned in each slot and its side edges are received in the groove in the tool extensions. The slide bar also has a plurality of notches or recesses spaced-apart along its side edges and corresponding to the shape of the openings 38, so that when the slide bar 52 is moved a short distance, the side edges thereof are removed from the groove in the tool extension and the tool is released or unlocked. The present invention will now be described in detail.

According to the present invention, each of the top and bottom book sets and 12 (or tool-retaining plates) are provided with an identical mold cavity plate and slide bar assembly for releasably retaining the mold cavity sections 22 and 24; therefore, only one of the two need be described (the bottom book set 12 will be described). The bottom book set 12 comprises a cover plate 30, a spacer plate 32, and a cavity plate 34, all three plates being held together by suitable screw means 36 (shown in top book set 10). The cavity plate 34 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 and includes a plurality of circular openings 38 arranged in a regular rectangular array comprising a plurality of linear rows 40 of equally spaced-apart openings 38, with the openings 38 also forming columns 42. The openings 38 are equally spaced apart in the rows and columns. The holes or openings 38 extend through the cavity plate 34 perpendicular to the plane of the cavity plate 34. The rows 40 are positioned perpendicular to the front edge 44 of the cavity plate 34. The openings 38 also extend through the spacer plate 32. The cover plate does not include the openings 38. The surface of the cavity plate 34 facing the spacer plate 32 is provided with a plurality of parallel slots 46, parallel to the rows 40 of openings 38. The slots 46 tangentially intersect and slightly overlap, along both edges thereof (except for the two outermost slots), of the openings in the adjacent two rows of openings. The mold cavity sections used in the present invention all have cylindrical extensions 48 having an annular groove 50 therein spaced a distance from the end of the extension such that it mates with the slots 46.

In order to releasably hold the mold cavity sections to the book sets, an elongated slide bar 52 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is positioned in each slot 46. The sliding bar is received within the grooves 50 of the extensions 48 to hold the mold cavity sections. The slide bar 52 is provided along both of its side edges 54 and 56 with a plurality of equally spaced-apart, identical cutouts or semi-circular recesses 58 that correspond to or register with the intersected portions of the openings 38. The recesses 58 are spaced apart the same distance as are the openings 38. Thus, all of the mold cavity sections in any given row can be easily and simply removed by pulling the two adjacent slide bars 52 out a short distance such that the recesses 58 therein register with the openings 38, whereby the slide bar retaining sections 60 in-between the recesses 58 are withdrawn from the grooves 50 in the extensions 48, and the mold cavity sections can be removed. I

The front end of the slide bar 52 is provided with a screw threaded hole 62 to receive a shoulder screw 64 that extends through an elongated groove 66 in the front of the cavity plate 34 and a similar groove 68 in the spacer plate 32. The grooves 66 and 68 preferably have a predetermined length and location such that one end thereof defines the tool locking position for the slide bar 52 and the other end defines the tool-releasing position of the slide bar 52. The groove 66 includes a shoulder 70 (see FIG. 2) and the screw 64 has a shoulder 72, and the slide bar 52 is preferably locked in position by tightening the screw 64 down onto the cavity plate 34 with the shoulders 70 and 72 abutting. To move the slide bar 52 it is preferred to grasp the screw 64 and push or pull; the slide bar 52 is freely slidable although there is sufficient friction that the slide bar will not move of its own accord without any force exerted on it.

In operation, the mold platens (not shown) are raised, the book set is hingedly opened, and the desired mold cavity sections are installed by moving the slide bar 52 to its release position, and then the slide bar is moved to its lock or engage position. The book sets 10 and 12 can be permanently affixed to the mold platens, if desired. Any mold cavity sections can be used as long as they have an extension 48 and a groove 50 that will mate with the openings 38 and the slide bar 52, respectively. Thus different mold cavities can be used interchangeably in the same mold assembly and at the same time as long as they have the same closed height.

The present invention is not limited to the details of the above-described preferred embodiment. For exam ple, the openings 38 need not be cylindrical but can have any shape, such as an irregular shape which would automatically provide orientation if desired. The releasable retaining plate and slide bar can be used to hold any tools rather than just compression mold cavity sections, such as, for example, punches. It is not necessary to use two slide bars per tool, one is sufficient. The openings 38 can be approximately normal i.e. they can be at an acute angle to a normal to the plate plane rather than only exactly normal to the plate plane. Also, the slide bars can be at an acute angle to theaxis of the openings 38, Le. approximately normal thereto, if desired. The recesses 58 need not be evenly spaced along the edges of the slide bar, they can be spaced so as to register with one opening at a time, for example, this can be of particular value, for example, in the top plate to prevent all of the tools from falling out when it is desired to remove just one tool. To prevent the tools from falling out in the preferred embodiment, the top book set is simply lifted to or beyond vertical position. Alternatively, two sets of slide bars could be used, oriented at with respect to each other so that an upper mold cavity section could be removed from the top book set only by moving four slide bars two in each set which pairs of slide bars are at right angles and intersect at said upper mold cavity. Of course, two sets of slots would be required in each plate and at 90 with each other.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention asdescribed thereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for removably holding a tool onto a tool-retaining plate comprising:

a. a tool-retaining plate having a plurality of identical openings extending approximately perpendicularto said plate and partway into said plate, said openings being adapted to receive said tools,

b. a plurality of slots extending at least partway through said plate approximately perpendicular to the axes of said openings, at least a portion of each of said slots intersecting at least a portion of a plurality of said openings,

c. an elongated slide bar slidably positioned in each of said slots, and each slide bar extending at least partway into a plurality of said openings for lockingly engaging a tool received in one of said openings,

d. said openings being positioned in a regular rectilinear array comprising a plurality of straight rows and straight columns perpendicular to the rows of equally spaced-apart openings in both the rows and columns, with the rows being perpendicular to the front edge of the plate, and wherein said slots are parallel to said rows of openings and wherein there are two slots intersecting each opening on opposite sides thereof,

c. said tool extension including a groove mating with said slot for receiving a slide bar for holding said tool onto said plate,

f. a plurality of different tools all having an identical one of said extensions,

g. said slide bars each including two parallel, toolretaining side edges, each of which edges intersect all openings in a particular row, each of said edges including a plurality of spaced-apart recesses corresponding to the shape of said openings and being spaced-apart the same distance as are said openings, whereby said slide bar is in its tool-releasing position when said recesses register with said openings, and

h. said apparatus being a compression mold assembly and said tool being a compression mold cavity section.

2. A compression mold plate assembly comprising:

a. an upper mold plate and a lower mold plate, each of said mold plates including on the surface thereof facing the other plate, a regular rectilinear array of identical, cylindrical openings extending partway therethrough, including a plurality of straight rows of openings and a plurality of straight columns of openings perpendicular to the rows, said openings being equally spaced-apart in both said columns and rows, said openings extending perpendicular to the plane of said plate;

b. a plurality of straight, parallel, equally spacedapart slots through each of said mold plates and perpendicular to the axes of said openings, at least a portion of each slot intersecting at least a portion of all openings in two adjacent rows of openings;

0. an elongated slide bar slidably positioned in each of said slots, each of said slide bars having a pair of tool-retaining side edges extending at least partway into each of said openings, when said slide baris in its tool-retaining position;

d. a plurality of mold cavity sections having cylindrical extensions mating with and extending into said openings, each of said extensions having an annular groove therearound positioned to register with said slots for receiving an edge of one of said slide bars on each of two opposite sides thereof, for releasably holding said mold cavity sections in said openings; and

e. each of said slide bars having a plurality of spacedapart recesses along their tool-retaining edges, said recesses corresponding to the shape of said openings and said recesses being spaced-apart the same distance as are said openings in said rows, whereby said slide bars can be moved between a release position wherein said recesses register with said openings, and a locking position wherein said edges are received within said grooves.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 including means for individually locking said slide bars in their locking position. 

1. Apparatus for removably holding a tool onto a tool-retaining plate comprising: a. a tool-retaining plate having a plurality of identical openings extending approximately perpendicular to said plate and partway into said plate, said openings being adapted to receive said tools, b. a plurality of slots extending at least partway through said plate approximately perpendicular to the axes of said openings, at least a portion of each of said slots intersecting at least a portion of a plurality of said openings, c. an elongated slide bar slidably positioned in each of said slots, and each slide bar extending at least partway into a plurality of said openings for lockingly engaging a tool received in one of said openings, d. said openings being positioned in a regular rectilinear array comprising a plurality of straight rows and straight columns perpendicular to the rows of equally spaced-apart openings in both the rows and columns, with the rows being perpendicular to the front edge of the plate, and wherein said slots are parallel to said rows of openings and wherein there are two slots intersecting each opening on opposite sides thereof, e. said tool extension including a groove mating with said slot for receiving a slide bar for holding said tool onto said plaTe, f. a plurality of different tools all having an identical one of said extensions, g. said slide bars each including two parallel, tool-retaining side edges, each of which edges intersect all openings in a particular row, each of said edges including a plurality of spaced-apart recesses corresponding to the shape of said openings and being spaced-apart the same distance as are said openings, whereby said slide bar is in its tool-releasing position when said recesses register with said openings, and h. said apparatus being a compression mold assembly and said tool being a compression mold cavity section.
 2. A compression mold plate assembly comprising: a. an upper mold plate and a lower mold plate, each of said mold plates including on the surface thereof facing the other plate, a regular rectilinear array of identical, cylindrical openings extending partway therethrough, including a plurality of straight rows of openings and a plurality of straight columns of openings perpendicular to the rows, said openings being equally spaced-apart in both said columns and rows, said openings extending perpendicular to the plane of said plate; b. a plurality of straight, parallel, equally spaced-apart slots through each of said mold plates and perpendicular to the axes of said openings, at least a portion of each slot intersecting at least a portion of all openings in two adjacent rows of openings; c. an elongated slide bar slidably positioned in each of said slots, each of said slide bars having a pair of tool-retaining side edges extending at least partway into each of said openings, when said slide bar is in its tool-retaining position; d. a plurality of mold cavity sections having cylindrical extensions mating with and extending into said openings, each of said extensions having an annular groove therearound positioned to register with said slots for receiving an edge of one of said slide bars on each of two opposite sides thereof, for releasably holding said mold cavity sections in said openings; and e. each of said slide bars having a plurality of spaced-apart recesses along their tool-retaining edges, said recesses corresponding to the shape of said openings and said recesses being spaced-apart the same distance as are said openings in said rows, whereby said slide bars can be moved between a release position wherein said recesses register with said openings, and a locking position wherein said edges are received within said grooves.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 including means for individually locking said slide bars in their locking position. 